Help Watering in Carolina Clay

how can i TELL how much water is actually getting into the soil and not just running off??

am continually baffled how it can pour rain for HOURS - yet if I go digging immediately after the rain- in some spots it is "dirt dry" in less than 1/4" (quarter of an inch) depth!

so that has me wondering just how much and how can i tell what does get to the roots?

yes - i know I do need that slow drip irrigation or soaker system.

once i get everything planted I will be installing irrigation but for now Ive got to keep these babies alive till then!

. . .how can I tell how much water gets to the 4" - 6" region of the soil??

I guess the only way is to dig and check.

Mulch --that helps the water to not 'run off' and instead will penetrate. Plus reduces evaporation. Also as you plant - condition/amend the planting area immediately around the shrub or plant. That will at least help with the flow of water to that particular plants roots. But if you have it all planted and you are worried about dry spots -- I think you will have to dig to find the answer. Also in short time the plants will let you know.

That's actually a "good" thing to notice at this stage of planting, 50glee. It could save you years of later disppointment! From your description, your soil is not porous enough to allow water penetration---either because of the nature of the soil itself (clay), or to extraneous things like compaction of the the soil by use of heavy equipment around the building site. Doesn't matter which is the cause, the answer's the same---organic matter incorporated into the soil---as deep as you can. Now. BEFORE you start planting. Ideally, you'd spend a whole year of piling compost onto the soil of your future beds and tilling it in, but few gardener's can wait that long... The simplest answer is to incorporate as much organic material as you can, as soon as you can, as deep as you can. The organic matter I've found most useful is mushroom compost. But don't automatically buy it by the "bag" at Wal-Mart---check out bulk deliveries from local suppliers... often (depending on the size of the beds), there are significant savings buying in "bulk". Also check out local stables---they often pray to get rid of their valuable "refuse".Then once you've amended the soil as deep as you can, planted all your favorite choices, it's time to implement Missingrossie's strategy...Mulch. Keep mulching. Then replenish the much...forever. Eventually, you'll have 2'-3' of incredibly productive loam!

I second the idea of mulching and if possible till in the mulch along with compost so you can build your clay into nice soil eventually. My soil is more clay than anything so it has kept me busy. Good Luck!

We use the fresh mulch that we can get free from the tree trimming companies. At first I just took it because I needed to mulch a large area quickly to keep the weeds down but when I saw how fast it breaks down into wonderful soil I grab all I can get. I prefer the fresh mulch for all my beds now and I don't work it into the clay, I just top dress everything. You always hear how fresh wood robs the soil of nitrogen but I have not found that to be a problem at all. The worms love the new soil and maybe they provide the nitrogen for me.

I always worried about the "nitrogen depletion" aspect of mulch too, Ardesia. I think it's been over-played, for whatever reasons. I just haven't found it to be the case in my experience. And I suspect you're right---all those jillions of worm casings in the mulch surely doesn't hurt! I've avoided hardwood mulches because I had some termite swarms in the early years of using them. I've got a fairly large piece of property that I maintain myself, so the cost of free chippings/clippings was VERY attractive. But I don't like termites! So I switched to Cypru$ mulch; termite problems were gone; no apparent difference in results. But I still worry about nitrogen depletion, so once a month in the growing season I apply some 10-10-10 "Carolina Green Plus" (with supplements) to all the beds, and I've rarely had a problem. And when I did have a problem, it was never due to nitrogen deficiency...(or termites).

Thankfully, I've never seen any termites but just to be on the safe side I don't use the mulch in any foundation areas.

I think if I were to work the mulch into the soil it might cause some nitrogen depletion but by just top dressing the only soil/mulch interaction is right on the soil surface and by the time the worms move in that issue is negated.

I am surprised you can use 10 10 10. I have had to go to a 0 middle number. The soil (if you could call it that) is so rich in phosphorus naturally that adding more created a toxic situation. Right now I am using a 18 0 18 that I found at Walterboro Feed & Seed. They are great for carrying a wide variety of garden products.

thank you all for your words of experience and advice!